Catalogue       Group                                          A side/B side                                                        Year

Number

CB 1            Orch Special Liwanza            Mwale Pts 1 & 2

CB 02          The Scarlet Band 3 KR          Anna/Sabina

CB 08          Orch Monama                      Nzola Pts 1& 2

CB 11          Orch Les Kinois                    Toweli Nini Pts 1 & 2

CB 12          Orch Yeke-Yeke                    Singa Singa Pts 1 & 2

CB 17          Somajeko                            Bambi Girodde Pts 1 & 2

                   International Band

CB 21          Orch Singa-Mwambe             Stanor Pts 1 & 2

CB 23          Orch Shika Shika                  Ma Sofia Pts 1 & 2

CB 25         Orch Les Igao Band               African Disco Zimbabwe Pts 1 & 2

Doromy Instrumental Company of Nairobi had its own label, Doromy, and also ran Editions Somajeko as well as City Boom.  Orch Shika Shika rival DO Misiani’s DO7 Shirati Jazz in the number of labels they recorded for. It’s odd that on CB23 they are listed as Orch Sika-Sika. Lazy typesetting or something more devious?

Special Liwanza were one of the early Congolese bands to play in East Africa and also recorded for  Editions Ba-Ba, Editions Chris, Editions Mwana Mama and Golden Toddy.

Les Kinois, like Shika Shika, were a Congolese outfit operating in Kenya. They broke up in 1980, suggesting these singles date from the late 1970s. Orch Monama may well be Orch Shika Shika recording under another name.

Somajeko International, meanwhile, appeared on two other Doromy labels: Doromy itself and Editions Somajeko.

I don’t know anything about Singa-Mwambe, though I’d like to thank Fabian Altahona of the Africolombia blog for sending in details of this single and CB 1. Thanks also to Fredrik Lavik in Norway, who sent in details of CB 25, although once again I have no further information about the band.